Princess Margaret Tudor
Princess Margaret Tudor, portrayed by Gabrielle Anwar, was King Henry VIII's favourite sister and wife of Charles Brandon. She was wed to King of Portugal, but found it difficult to love the disgusting, elderly man and smothered him with a pillow, thus dropping her title of Queen of Portugal. After the discovery of her marriage to Brandon, Margaret was banished from court and did not come back, despite Henry requesting his sister's presence. Eventually, Margaret fell gravely ill and began coughing up blood. Brandon noticed his wife's illness but did not mention it to the King. Margaret died while Brandon was engaging in sex with another woman. After Margaret's death, Brandon is seen standing by her body, bursting into tears and begging for her forgiveness for the wrong he has done her. Season One The first season, the only season Margaret appears in, first sees Margaret performing a dance with Henry. We see they are siblings, after which Margaret calls Henry "brother" and he calls her "sister". Begging the King not to force her to marry the elderly King of Portugal, Margaret ends up forced to do so anyway. Disgusted and in love with Charles Brandon, Margaret kills the King of Portugal by smothering him with a pillow. When learning news of the King of Portugal's death, Henry demands that Margaret's every whim be answered while she is in mourning. Little does Henry know that Margaret is not in fact mourning and has secretly married Charles Brandon after he proposes to her. Annoyed, Henry banishes them both from court. After a certain period of time, Henry requests Margaret's presence at court. Margaret refuses to return, telling Brandon she will not return to court while Henry is with Anne Boleyn, calling her brother's lover a whore. This proves Margaret obviously platonically loves and respects Catherine. Early in the morning, Margaret remains up, while Brandon tells her to come back to bed, as it's "cold". Margaret refuses. Brandon falls asleep. She kisses him, telling him goodbye, and leaves to the bathroom. We see she is ill and coughing up blood. Margaret's illness eventually takes hold, and she is still coughing up blood. As the severity of her condition worsens, Margaret runs to the hospital, but it is too late. Brandon is engaging in sex with another woman while Margaret drops onto the floor, dead. Brandon brings news of Margaret's death to court, and an enraged and grief-stricken Henry coldly tells Brandon, "You never even told me she was sick", leaving the room and getting teary-eyed. Margaret's funeral is held. Henry cannot attend, as it supposedly brings bad luck to the King if he attends a funeral. Later on, we see Brandon standing by Margaret's body shortly after her death. He bursts into tears. "I'm sorry. Forgive me," he sobs. Physical Appearance Margaret was extremely beautiful and attractive, with long fair brown hair and greeny-blue eyes. She had moderate tanned skin and often wore unfashionable and informal clothes and dresses for women of the fifteenth century. Margaret's beauty may have had something to do with Brandon's proposal to her. The King of Portugal also seemed attracted to Margaret due to her being young and beautiful. Unlike most Tudor women, Margaret could be informal with her dress sense. Personality Margaret had a rather negative outlook on things. In episode 5, she even called herself a "fucking whore". However, Margaret's negative outlook may have been due to Henry's control over her life. As the King's sister and Tudor princess, she was in a difficult position and her choice of husband was something she had to be careful with, however she impulsively married Charles Brandon, the King's best friend. Margaret was a strong woman. It is unknown if she was aware of Charles Brandon's infidelity, and she was shown to be a loyal wife despite being sometimes hateful. In times of anger, Margaret's temper could become hot. She went as far as to throw things at her husband and broke the windows when he ducked what she threw at him. Margaret and Henry clearly had a very cold love for each other, and Henry didn't grieve for long over his sister's death. As King, Henry could control his sister's life and she had no choice in it. Backstory Margaret was Henry's favourite sister and a little bit older than her spoiled and power-abusing brother. She was forced to wed and sleep with the King of Portugal, which she found deeply unpleasant. Margaret was born in 1489 and died in 1541. Due to marrying below her rank and disliking Anne Boleyn, Margaret's relations with her brother were strained. After Margaret's death, she was buried in the Carthusian Priory of St. John in Perth (which was later demolished in 1559). Quotes * "Please don't make me marry him. He's an old man. * "You gave me your promise." * "I hate you!" * "You love someone for a week. For a day. For an hour." * "It doesn't matter, Charles." * "Goodbye." * "Don't tease me, I don't like it!" * "I don't know if you're really brave or if you're just a fucking fool." * "She's a cheap nothing." Margaret on Anne Boleyn. * Henry (yelling): "Do you understand?" Margaret: (normal voice) "I understand." * "If it weren't for you, I would still be the Queen of Portugal. And now what am I?" Margaret yelling at Charles in a rage. Mary and Margaret Tudor Anwar's character in ''The Tudors ''is based upon a historical inaccuracy. In reality, Henry had two sisters, Mary and Margaret Tudor, but in the television series his sister Mary does not exist and Margaret is an amalgamation of the two characters, so the viewers would not mix up Henry's daughter Mary and his sister Mary.